gonyaulax

[ goh-nee-aw-laks ]

noun

1. any marine dinoflagellate of the genus Gonyaulax, sometimes occurring in great numbers and causing red tide.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gonyaulax¹

< New Latin < Greek góny knee + aûlax furrow

Example Sentences

A chain of ecological events extraordinary for the British Isles is reported in this week’s issue of Nature … They concern the unusual bloom of a planktonic alga, the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis, off the Northumbrian coast of Britain in May this year.

From Nature

While there, he began studying the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra, a plankton that flashes at night when stimulated.

From New York Times

I remember that I started my research career working as a chronobiologist on the circadian rhythms of the unicellular marine algae Gonyaulax polyedra.

From Scientific American

Anterior part with 7 equatorial and 1 rhombic plates Genus *Peridinium   Anterior part with 5 equatorial and no rhombic plates Genus Gonyaulax   Anterior part with 3 equatorial and no rhombic plates Genus *Ceratium 9.

From Project Gutenberg